Voters could decide
themselves to raise local sales taxes to pay for transportation projects under
a proposal unveiled Wednesday in the state Senate.
The measure, however,
has several key differences from the state’s 10-year, 1 percent regional
transportation sales tax currently used in some areas. For starters, it would
let local governments initiate the process of setting up a vote on the tax. It
would give counties the option of going it alone if a regional consensus cannot
be reached. And it could cost a fraction of a penny, rather than the
whole coin as currently constructed.
The rewritten House
Bill 106 would be an addendum to lawmakers’ efforts over the past 10 weeks to
find $1 billion for the state’s roads and bridges.
“What this would do is
let locals raise a good deal of money for their own projects,” said Senate
Transportation Committee Chairman Tommie Williams, R-Lyons. “It could actually
help solve some of the congestion issues.”
Williams’ committee
approved the new version of HB 106 on Wednesday.
Lawmakers five years
ago first allowed what they dubbed T-SPLOST: a special purpose local option
sales tax for transportation. They divided the state into 12 regions. Officials
in each region then had to work together on a projects list to be put before
voters.
The effort failed in
nine of the 12 regions, grouping too many disparate counties with too
many different needs. That was especially true in metro Atlanta, where the vote
involved 10 counties and failed by 62 percent.
This time, Williams
would first let a majority of county commissions within those same regions
decide to try again. If they didn’t by January 2017, each of Georgia’s 159
counties could decide for themselves on a county-by-county basis. Another
difference: The proposed sales tax could be less than 1 percent.
The law today mandates
a 1 percent increase only.
Despite voters’
rejection of the T-SPLOST in many regions in 2012, public sentiment toward
local transportation sales taxes may be shifting. Especially when they are tailored
to a single jurisdiction’s needs.
Last year, Forsyth
County embraced a $200 million bond referendum. Clayton County residents have
voted to pay a 1 percent sales tax to join MARTA. Atlanta residents Tuesday
approved a $250 million infrastructure bond referendum to fix roads, bridges
and sidewalks.
Giving locals more
power pleased the state’s business community, and some local leaders — but not
all.
“We have been
supportive of a local option to meet needs that are focused on a particular
region or county,” said Seth Millican, with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Counties said the idea
provides more local control and flexibility. They cautioned, however, that
“voters still have to like it and like the projects,” said Shaun Adams, with
the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.
“It’s a tool, it’s not
a solution,” Adams said.
A representative for
Georgia cities, meanwhile, said the bill gives counties too much power to
choose projects.
“In many cases in this
state, the revenues from sales taxes are generated in the economic hubs, which
are the cities,” said Tom Gehl, with the Georgia Municipal Association.
“Yet this proposal
would allow revenue to be generated in these hubs with no guarantee that the
congestion needs in those hubs would be met by this sales tax.” the economic
hubs, which are the cities,” said Tom Gehl, with the Georgia Municipal
Association.
“Yet
this proposal would allow revenue to be generated in these hubs with no
guarantee that the congestion needs in those hubs would be met by this sales
tax.”
Comments
Who owns I-285 ?
It is one of Metro Atlanta’s nightmare highways. It needs more lanes on the top end, at least
enough to keep the top end moving at rush hour.
If the federal government is not fixing it and the state hasn’t fixed
it, we need to know who can fix it. The
Atlanta Regional Commission is certainly not the group qualified to fix it.
They had their chance and blew it. GDOT has failed as well.
I-285 is not rural Georgia’s problem. But rural Georgia
should know that the state has a stake in finally getting the congestion
mitigated. I-285 is an interstate and
certainly the federal and state revenues should be used. But I-285 is also a local highway used by
local residents to commute to work, so the residents of DeKalb and Fulton
should contribute. They are the host counties for this underdeveloped disaster.
Yes, the cities that border I-285 should contribute.
Overdevelopment in PCID, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs is
contributing to the congestion on I-285, as will the Cobb Braves stadium. The
alternative is to halt development because of congestion.
The final question is, should Gwinnett contribute,
because their residents use I-285 as well. The other counties that don’t border
I-285 have some residents who use I-285, but they don’t own the problem.
There may be projects connected to the Savannah harbor
expansion and they should be funded by rail carriers and appropriate municipal
funds according to proximity as outlined above. Public transit and Cobb stadium
projects should not receive any funding from this Bill. This should be a
highway fixing Bill.
First, excessive unnecessary studies and alternate
designs costs should be minimized. These abuses have doubled the cost of road
maintenance. We should pay for land and
concrete.
Yes, the 2012 T-SPLOST failed because the projects in it didn’t reduce our highway congestion. Voters
might pass something that makes sense, but they will need to know the details
before they vote.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
No comments:
Post a Comment